Air pollution killed seven million people in 2012: WHO

A view of the Eiffel Tower seen through thick smog, on March 14, 2014, in Paris. Air pollution by sources ranging from cooking fires to auto fumes contributed to an estimated seven million deaths worldwide in 2012, the UN health agency said Tuesday. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP

GENEVA (AFP) - Air pollution by sources ranging from cooking fires to auto fumes contributed to an estimated seven million deaths worldwide in 2012, the UN health agency said Tuesday.

"Air pollution, and we're talking about both indoors and outdoors, is now the biggest environmental health problem, and it's affecting everyone, both developed and developing countries," said Dr Maria Neira, the World Health Organisation's public and environmental health chief.

Globally, pollution was linked to one death in eight in 2012, new WHO research found.